Masons Clinic

What a blessing working in Masons clinic was today. I found myself working in one of three rooms of a small, nurse run clinic with a waiting room filled with HIV patients waiting for their treatments. With each patient who walked through the door of the small back room I was working in I examined their faces as they would enter. Each always different, a new face, different smile, some older, younger, carrying children, and some even children themselves. Yet none of them had HIV/AIDS written on their forehead? I'm really not sure why I assumed there was going to be a specific distinction, stamp, or alert showing me that these patients were living with HIV, but for some reason I still found myself looking at each person as if I was searching for their "HIV marker". All of the beautiful men and women who walked through the door looked just like any other person I would have passed on the street that day but was living with the reality of this destructive, life threatening disease. HIV has serious complications and consequences, and requires medical interventions that have to be strictly followed in order to sustain a life with this awful disease. I began to research more about the prevelence of HIV and AIDS in the communities that we have been working with and what I found was truly shocking. In the southern portion of the contenent Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, HIV is at its highest percentage, making up more then 65% of all the worlds population of HIV/AIDS in this one area. Within sub-Saharan Africa the rates of HIV are at their highest in the country of South Africa, where over 1/3 of all AIDS related deaths occur. More specifically, amongst the 9 providences that make up South Africa, HIV is MOST prevelent in the providence of Kwazulu-Natal (where I am currently staying). The reality of HIV/AIDS is so, so real here. It is truly appalling and sadly a living reality among the people here. Public bathrooms throughout the country and communities provide despensers with free condoms to try to lower the epidemic, but the disease rates throughout the country seem to only continue growing. Babies born to HIV mothers have a 30% chance risk of contracting the disease just by birth. An overwhelming feeling of helplessness began to set in the more I began learning about the seriousness of this disease. How am I, as a student nurse, supposed to make a difference in such a widespread problem? I felt a little piece of my question was answered as I finished a young woman's blood draw in the back room of the clinic that day. As I removed the needle and covered her prick with a small piece of gauze, I heard singing coming from the waiting room. I walked out with the young woman to see what was going on and there, in the waiting room, all the patients were loudly and joyously singing a Zulu worhsip song to Jesu (Jesus). A ministry group from the community came to sing and preach to the patients in the clinic. It was such a blessing to see the pateints respond with such joy and appreciation as they worshiped and shouted in the name of the Lord. When asking the question what can I "do", I too quickly think how it is I can physically work to meet the needs of these patients without remembering that it is the spiritual needs that need to be filled first and foremost. I love what the community ministry brought to the people that day in allowing them to worship and rejoice in the Lord even while waiting for their HIV treatments. They showed me the joys of evangelism at its finest and how useful that "work" is for the people.

Preaching at the waiting room at Masons

My "office" at Masons

My precious friend

"I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:10-13